Commotion: NYT and Capitol Riot Police Death

On January 8, 2021, the New York Times published an article about the death of officer Brian D. Sicknick, who died following the Capitol riot. The article says that Sicknick was beaten to death by a fire extinguisher. A month later, they updated their article with a disclaimer. This disclaimer says that new information “questions the initial cause of death provided by officials.”

This has led to some speculation, with many asserting that the story itself was fabricated entirely. There were even some articles by right-leaning publications making such allegations.

However, there is no evidence to suggest that the New York Times purposely fabricated this story. 

According to the official Capitol Police press release: “United States Capitol Police Officer Brian D. Sicknick passed away due to injuries sustained while on-duty. Officer Sicknick was responding to the riots on Wednesday, January 6, 2021, at the U.S. Capitol and was injured while physically engaging with protesters. He returned to his division office and collapsed. He was taken to a local hospital where he succumbed to his injuries.”

While the disclaimer in the New York Times article is undeniably vague, the cause of Sickbick’s death is, at the time of writing, disputed. It may have been a reaction to an irritant sprayed by an unknown party, or a possible stroke. When the New York Times article was written, it was law enforcement who alleged the use of a fire extinguisher in Sicknick’s death, not the New York Times.